Team News

Brewington Reaches Out On Recent Roadtrip

Liberty junior guard Dwight Brewington is a great success story, playing Division I college basketball with 60 percent hearing loss. Brewington's impact continues to reach far beyond the basketball court as well.

When the Liberty men's basketball team was awaiting a delayed flight in the Jacksonville airport on Wednesday evening after playing defending national champions and third-ranked Florida the previous night, Brewington had the opportunity to meet a young boy very much like himself.

10-year old Tucker Wiseman of Jacksonville, Fla., was at the airport awaiting a flight to take him back to the Clarke School in Northampton, Mass., a boarding school he attends, after being home for Christmas break.

Wiseman has 100 percent hearing loss in both ears and attends the boarding school in Massachusetts to accommodate his needs. When it was brought to Brewington's attention that there was a young boy nearby signing with his mother, the junior wanted to meet him.

"I remember how hard it was growing up with my impairment," said Brewington. "I wanted to meet him and tell him to never give up on anything and never let others cast him aside because he can't hear."

Brewington sat for awhile with Tucker and his mother, Kamy Wiseman outside the gate talking and getting to know each other. "I was blown away by the kindness the Liberty team showed my son," said Wiseman. "I think children like him feel they are labeled and they don't have real high goals because of their disability. For Tucker to see Dwight, his status and how the other players accepted Dwight as part of a team was very encouraging for him."

Brewington also signed a copy of the Flames 2006-07 media guide and, in the note he wrote Tucker was a quote his mother repeated over and over to a young Dwight that he had tattooed on the inside of his left forearm when he was 17. It reads, "My Dream is Big Enough So The Facts Don't Count, 1 Love Mom".

Growing up in Lynn, Mass., Brewington was taunted and mocked. Children were insensitive and Brewington's mother, Pamela Harrison used those words to motivate and inspire him to succeed.

Brewington and Tucker share a few common bonds. Both have a connection to Massachusetts, both love sports and their birthdays are five days apart. Tucker was born on March 12 and Dwight was born on March 17.

The meeting served Tucker in a positive way. "Tucker has tried many sports with hearing children and the adults are as rude as the children are," said Wiseman. "Tucker would come home with a broken spirit and a lack of interest in participating or even trying due to people making fun of him. To have Dwight be kind and encourage my son was an opening that I have only dreamt of for him. As a mother, I appreciate from the bottom of my heart, what Dwight, the other players, the coaches and staff did for Tucker. The little bit of time Dwight took to interact with him will impact him for the rest of his life. His school called me and he is already bragging about his new friend, Dwight."

Brewington loves these encounters because he can show kids like Tucker that he was once in their shoes and understands their thoughts. "I remember how hard it was growing up," stated Brewington. "I tell every kid I meet the same thing, that they should never let someone tell them they can't do something."

Brewington one day would like to help hearing impaired children. "I would love to be able to help open schools in certain areas so that kids like Tucker can stay near their home instead of having to go to boarding school," stated Brewington.

Brewington, who averaged 13.3 points a game at Providence during the 2004-05 season before transferring to Liberty, is scoring 14.9 points per game and grabbing 5.1 rebounds per game for the Flames this season. It is quite possible that Brewington will be able to accomplish his goal of helping the hearing impaired through the game of basketball by playing professionally after college.

Wherever the future may take Dwight Brewington, one thing is for sure. He will always have a heart for reaching out to children much like the boy he was. Always giving them the encouragement he was blessed with, that no dream is without grasp, regardless of the facts.